If you’ve been jonesing for a new roller-coaster ride thriller in the same vein as The Da Vinci Code with powerful visuals and a non-stop sense of suspense, then Seven Deadly Wonders is the ultimate E-ticket. Author Matthew Reilly (Area 7, Ice Station) tells a tale of cinematic scope that takes readers on a journey around the world in search of a lost treasure with amazing powers.

The story centers on the quest for the seven pieces of the Golden Capstone, which once sat on top of the Great Pyramid of Cheops. Seems the Capstone was broken by Alexander the Great and hid all around the globe in - you guessed it - the Seven Ancient Wonders. Now everyone wants to put the pieces back together and fulfill a legend that gives the finder absolute power to control the world for a thousand years. And they must do so before the occurrence of the Tartarus Sunspot - a strange and rare solar event occurs with the potential to send the planet into a dual deluge and firestorm.

Among the contenders in this Great Race are the United States, a group of European nations, and, naturally, an Islamic terrorist faction. There is also a smaller team of nations who believe no one nation or group should have such control. This team is led by an Australian named Jack West, Jr., who becomes the protagonist in a fight against the evil forces eager to get their hands of the Capstone.

Jack’s team, which includes some unusual characters on board - like the ten-year-old Lily, one of only two people on the planet able to decode the ancient texts leading to the mysterious Capstone - must race against the clock and more fully armed and financed enemies. Of course, the little guys have the resourcefulness and savvy that helps them navigate through trap after trap as they try to fight forces far bolder and bigger than they to save the world from the “bad guys,” of which there are many.

Combining elements of movies like Indiana Jones and the spirit of Clive Cussler’s novels, with the historical backdrop of Dan Brown’s massive best-sellers, Reilly succeeds at making readers see the story as a movie of the mind. It is only a matter of time before this book gets snatched up for the big screen. The excitement is palpable, and even if the characters are not as developed as they should be, who cares? Going along for the ride with this scruffy team in a Boeing 747 on steroids is enough to take anybody’s breath away.

This is not literature, mind you, nor does it pretend to be. It’s pure escapism, and one hell of an escape it is!